TL1 - Fret Buzz

[wokkaboy]

Hi Solo,
wait for Gav to respond but the twist of the neck looks to be too far out to me and is the obvious reason for the fret buzz. It looks much worse at the neck heel than the nut end. When the neck screwed to the body when you look down the fretboard from the bridge end does it still look like one side is too high ?
If so you could try fitting a thin wedge under the side of the neck heel that sits lower but this may not work

[Gavin1393]

Sorry, Not trying to be difficult but the two pictures I need to see needs to sight the neck from the head stock down the length of the fretboard and then from the neck pocket back up to the head stock. The problem you have described earlier in the thread certainly points clearly to a twisted neck and perhaps the first picture lends the most evidence of this, but it is also possible that the issue is simply that the neck base which is supposed to sit level in the neck pocket is in fact not level. Hence I first want to rule out that the neck is or is not twisted.

I know you have gone to a fair amount of trouble to take photographs but the two most important photographs are not there. I am also not sure what a number of photographs are meant to portray, like this one for example?


Could I please ask that you take those pictures in good lighting and with clarity from beginning to end (in other words plenty depth of field). Thanks

If the neck is not twisted it may be a simple fix...

[Solo]

I'll try and get some extra shots at lunch tomorrow guys thanks for your input

I'll take some neck pocket dimensions as well when I get the chance.

[Solo]

Guys, haven't had a chance to take these photos today. I'll have to upload them on Monday.

[Solo]

Hey guys, hope you all had a good weekend. Pictures below as requested. I hope this makes it a bit clearer.
Cheers!

[Solo]

These from the heel end are fairly clear too.

[Gavin1393]

Hi Solo
You neck (fretboard area) looks straight. The issue here I think is that beneath the fretboard there is a difference between the heights of the wood on the left and right side of the neck. It looks higher on the right hand side as I look at it in the pictures immediately above this post. If the neck was twisted parts of the nut would not be visible in the final picture. My thoughts is that this should be an easier fix. The first thing to do is make sure the neck pocket is completely flat and level, then using sandpaper attached to a FLAT piece of wood you will need to sand the base of the neck (the part that sits on top of the neck pocket)so that this is also level and equal thickness on left and right. You will know you have this right as soon as you reattach the neck and all the buzzing is gone! I did wonder how the luthier missed a twisted neck, because that is ALWAYS the first thing we do is to look down a neck for excessive bow, bow in the wrong direction or a twisted neck. Now it all makes sense.

[Solo]

I hope you're right mate, because this is what I see when I look at it (picture below - hope it comes through clearly enough). Those dotted lines are parallel, but the end of the fretboard itself (rather than the base of the heel), seems to follow that solid line. I know its hard to display over photos.

Just remember that the nut is sitting flat on the tabletop in that last picture. Basically what we should see (if there is any twist), is a difference in the heights at the back. Its not showing twist around the middle of the neck.

I'll sand that back tonight and see how it goes. Thanks for the input mate!

[Solo]

I just put a set of digital verniers on and measured the heel heights from the underside, to the fret board, right next to the fret. Dimensions as below:

16th Fret, Low E (left hand side) = 24.92mm
16th Fret, High E (right hand side) = 25.37mm

19th Fret, Low E (left hand side) = 24.75mm
19th Fret, High E (right hand side) = 25.16mm

21st Fret, Low E (left hand side) = 24.31mm
21st Fret, High E (right hand side) = 24.91

So, typically the right hand side is thicker (as you can pick up from the pictures), but it doesn't account for the difference in the CAD pic I put in above, with the levels. Which leads me to think it might be a combination of both??

I'll carefully sand this down tonight, checking it along the way to see if I can get to a point where its good - split the difference so to speak!

[Brendan]

I'd wait for Gav's advice, but my concern would be if you take some off the right hand side is that just going to accentuate the issue.

You do have something weird going on here though... if you're sanding I'd look to use a large(ish) block as the measurements are all over the place...

. Low E High E Difference
16th Fret 24.92 25.37 0.45
19th Fret 24.75 25.16 0.41
21st Fret 24.31 24.91 0.6

That said, it looks like there is more than 0.2mm gap at the bottom.